Man detained in Buenos Aires after driving a stolen bus, saying it was his dream

A man was taken into custody on Sunday in the western part of Buenos Aires after driving a city bus for several kilometers. The bus had been taken without permission from a depot, following its regular route and picking up passengers at stops. This occurred around 6:30 am at the Empresa 216 depot in Pontevedra, a district in Merlo.

The suspect boarded a parked vehicle and drove it away from the depot, continuing along the planned route and stopping to let passengers board. None of the passengers noticed anything amiss, as the driver was wearing a shirt with the company's logo.

The situation came to light when the bus collided with another vehicle belonging to the same company. The owner of the other vehicle alerted colleagues, who in turn reported the theft to their union representative. A police report was filed, leading a patrol car to locate the bus in southern Morón. An officer from the Gervasio Pavón precinct approached a stop near the station, raised his arm as though he were a passenger, and when the bus stopped, boarded it, identified himself and arrested the driver.

The Prosecutor's Office No. 2 in Morón, led by Fernando Capello, ordered a psychiatric evaluation to determine if the detainee was fit to stand trial. Upon arrest, the man claimed, "I wanted to fulfill my dream of being a bus driver." Officers seized a knife from him, and no injuries were reported. The bus sustained bodywork damage from the collision and was sent to the company for repairs before returning to service. The detainee, whose identity has not been made public, has not been convicted.